building a coalition. politicians in japan work to form a new government under the guidance of the man that will take hold at new leader. abe is wasting little time getting back to the job he once held. his liberal democratic party clinched a landslide victory last sunday in a general election. abe has agreed to start policy discussion with members of the ldp's long-time partner new komeito as they work to form a

coalition government. abe met in tokyo with the new komeito leader. he wants to establish a stable coalition. he said the parties should start specific policy talks and reach an aagreement before an extraordinary session of the diet. law enforcements gather on december 26th to vote for the next prime minister, a vote abe is certain to win. abe and yamaguchi agreed their budget should have a budget for this fiscal year as soon as possible to boost japan's economy. >> translator: considering the challenges japan faces in such areas as the economy and national security, we can't wait until the diet session to start working on launching the new administration. >> the policy chiefs of the ldp and new komeito will now start fauki

talking. they will formalize their agreement ahead of the diet session. >> abe made a move on the economic front. he met with the bank of japan governor to push for a higher inflation target. he visited ldp headquarters on tuesday. during the meeting abe urged him to consider setting a policy accord for a 2% inflation target a. the new administration is established. he declined to elaborate on his discussion with abe. the central bank's policy meeting starts from wednesday. abe repeatedly called for bold monetary easing during the election campaign to help stop inflation. they will had the largest amount of liquidity among advanced country. he implied they have taken sufficient monetary easing measures. abe told business leaders he intends to follow-through on the promises and pull japan out of deflation.

>> translator: we have to beat deflation, curb the strong yen and create jobs. we'll do anything we can to grow the japanese economy. i deeply believe reviving the economy will lead to a stronger japan. >> members of the japan business federation want japanese negotiators to join talks on the trans pacific partnership free trade deal. abe said he will study the issue thoroughly. abe took time this morning for a telephone call with u.s. president barack obama. they talked about meeting next month in washington. it would be abe's first foreign visit after forming a new government. he's made strengthening the japan/u.s. relationship a priority. nhk world has more from washington. >> people in the obama administration place a high priority on stability in the asia-pacific. they have been troubled by increasing tension between japan

and china over which country owns the senkaku islands in the east china sea. their concerned thathe conflict i claims allowed to fester could unsettled dynamic in the region. they want to see policies and sophisticated diplomacy to calm the swaituation. they're drawn into military confrontation because of their alliance with japan. >> our message to the new japanese government will be the same as the message to the former japanese government, which is that we want to see both japan and china avoid provocative acts. we want to see them talk to each other and work this through by dialogue. >> now japan has stirred up another territorial dispute with south korea. u.s. official want up to see the japanese put aside the differences with the neighbor about the islands in the sea of japan. american diplomats rely on partner in both countries about

the threat of north korea. the north koreans may be under way to gain technology for long rage ballistic missiles. they say it serves as the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the asia-pacific. the revolving door the to the prime minister's office has made it difficult. they want a reliable partner, a stable government with a strong pan date that will more coherent in its policies. in short, they would like to see an end to the political volatility. abe and other ldp leaders have said they want to take a tough line on china and officials in beijing are watching japan's political transition with great interest. nhk world reports from beijing. >> china secret media closely followed japan's lower house

election race. it cited the ldp's pledge of amending the constitution. the official newspaper commented on the election in the editorial. it said bilateral relations will either move forward or get worse. people in beijing voiced strong opinions about shinzo abe. they say he should pay careful attention to china. >> translator: i want to see improved relations, but it all depends on mr. abe. he shouldn't deal with bilateral relations based on personal beliefs. he should look at things from a broader point of view. >> translator: the current situation is unhelpful to the people of both china and japan. i want mr. abe to lay out

specific measures for improving relations. >> china's officials recently went through their own change of leadership. last month xin became head of the communist party. he's making moves to boost support for the new leaders. officials have been pressing china's claims to island in the east china sea. japan controls the senkaku islands. shortly before the election in japan an aarg from the maritime authority enters japanese air space over the islands. tensions remain high. one analyst is am bif lent. >> there is a deal of of expectation that the change of leadership. there is a lot of caution and

apprehension with the neighboring countries in terms of the peace, constitution in japan. there might be changes. >> some experts believe china's officials want to mend relations with japan to help sustain economic growth and maintain social stability. chinese leaders hope japan's change of government will offer them a chance to take a friendly approach. officials in beijing are closely watching how paternojapan's news will deal with territorial disputes. they'll pay careful attention on to developments leading to the upper house election scheduled for next summer. nhk world, beijing. the victory of the liberal democratic party will signal a change in japanese diplomacy, especially towards the united states and china.

sherri ann spoke with the former japanese ambassador to the u.s. >> the issue of american military bases in okinawa has strained relations between japan and the u.s. how should the new japanese administration approach relations with the u.s.? >> japan should restore its political stability and economic viability. then japan and the u.s. should solve first existing issues and consolidate partnerships. i think many asia-pacific countries would like to see that. >> you mentioned japan should solve its own problems first, revive the economy would be one of them. how doourng the u.s.-led trans pacific partnership free-trade agreement would play into that. >> i think it is a great opportunity. we should accelerate our consultation, and when we get into negotiations, we should try to make that agreement as favorable to us as possible and it to the other countries as

well. >> we should at least start talking? >> yes, i think so. >> as we heard earlier in the report the dispute over the territory in the east china sea drove a wedge between japan and china. what's your take on this, and how do you think the u.s. leaders view this issue. >> i think i'd like to say three things. one, we should restrain both of us, china and japan, and that's what we are doing. second, we should abide by international laws and norms. we should not resort to use of force or coercion. third, i appreciate very much that the u.s. is saying repeatedly that japan's security treaty, he is sfeshlly article 5, covers the island. because that constitutes an important deterrence. >> we see lately the chinese authorities have been more assertive here in asia.

how should government officials respond to that? >> china is an important partner, and we should continue to engage china. however, at the same time, we would like to see them abide by international laws and norms and rules. i think we should continue to send that message to china. a chinese government think tank reports the disputed islands and related anti-japan protests topped internet posts in the country this year. it says a growing gap in wealth is behind the vandalism and looting during the protests. the chinese academy of social sciences released a report about online forums examine chinese social networking site wavo. researchers say some 177 million posts were made about the islands and protests over them, the second most popular topic was the london olympics with less than half the posts. the report highlights some of the arrested demonstrators

didn't know where the islands were. it says that frustration over china's growing wealth gap was behind the nationalistic claims. they change the country's society from one in which the weak live in desperation. south koreans are getting ready to pick the next president. two candidates are locked into a tight race. one is an activist turned politician. the other would become the first woman to hold the top job if voted in. nhk world's anna jung has from seoul. >> people braved the cold and gathered behind to hear park of the ruling party deliver a campaign speech. she picked a sill bolick.

she called on south koreans to vote for her. if elected she would work to reignite the country. she will stay ahead of the main competitor moon jae-un. he represents the opposition united party. moon says if he were president he would do more the middle and working classes. park and moon along with four independent candidates have been appeals young voters and others undecided. whoever gets their support stands a good chance of winning. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: a video of the candidate park. she looks back on the outpouring of family sympathy six years ago. it came while he was campaigning and a man slashed her face with

a knife. park is reflecting an image of strength. she will never give in to violence. analysts say the edge appears to conservatives but doesn't reach that. park uses other tactics to get their vote. the candidate a's song is adapt

from a hit, and campaign workers try to listen to what the young are saying. this year from students who have traveled finding work, the staff promises to do something about the job shortage. >> translator: our saenuri party is criticized for not trying to understand the concerns of young people. well, our candidate will listen to their complaints and help them. >> reporter: why park has to work hard to attract young voters, another candidate is already popular with them. but as soon as seeking their votes, he's also courting people who haven't decided who they would choose. yellow is a campaign color of his democratic united party. it's slogan is always on the

title of the people. moon targets anyone suffering from the widening income gap and the lack of jobs. park is the daughter of a former president. moon's parents were poor, and he uses his humble roots to appeal to the common people. >> moon's staff made this tv commercial. he's at home relaxing. his down-to-earth behavior is to show ordinary people he's one of them. >> translator: moon has revealed aspects of his private life for the first time as a presidential candidate. we're emphasizing his warm heart, simplicity and common tough touch.

>> he says bak is responsible for the grow wealth gap. >> translator: bak's government has done one good thing for the people. park comes from the same party and wants to be president. she must account for the government government's incompetence. >> both want ups the young and undecided. >> park and moon have also fought over voters who backed independent candidate who resigned before the campaign began and asked his supporters to stroet for moon. most of them are in their 20s and 30s. analysts say a high turnout would favor moon and a low one would favor park. about 40 million people are

eligible to cast a vote, and how many do that could determine who will win. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. the prime minister of thailand has inspected a massive infrastructure project under way over the border in myanmar. in bangkok we have more details. countries and companies around the world are paying attention to myanmar. neighboring thailand is in poor position to top the economic potential. they have visited a special economic zone being developed in southern myanmar. the project could become a logistic hub serving the whole of southeast asia. on monday he took a one-day trip to myanmar's port town on the indian ocean. she met with the president to discuss the $50 billion u.s. dollar project which includes a deep seaport and power plants.

it was the first visit by a thai prime minister since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2008 to develop the area. >> translator: by april of next year, clearer details should be available, and we should also be able it to invite investors to join the prakt. >> the dawei project is set to become the major access point connecting the indian on or about ocean to the south china he sea. it should be a new trading route for thailand and for myanmar a gateway for foreign investment. the project gained extra attention since myanmar launched the open door policy along with economic and credit reforms. land mines and unexploded ordinane

ordnance is the danger of war. we have the story. >> a small village in eastern afghanistan mourns the loss of its children. on monday the bodies of 11 girls, aged between 9 and 11 years old, were laid to rest. >> translator: the girls were trying to collect firewood outside the village when they became victims of a land mine explosion. >> the explosion apparently happened while the girls were gathering firewood. one accidentally struck an explosive device with an ax. an estimated 10 million land mines have been buried across afghanistan since the soviet invasion of 1979 and during the civil war that followed. they worked tirelessly to remove

unexploded ordnance. their efforts were recognized in 1997 when the international campaign to ban land mines received the nobel peace prize. the campaign says land mines remain a major threat to civilians. over the past two years they have claimed or maimed on average 50 people a month. unexploded bombs have a similar danger. they claim the lives of impov riched people including many children that try to sell them as scrap metal. the international campaign to ban land mines says more than 1 million afghans live within 500 meters of unexploded mines and ordnance. it says the international communities should provide more support to protect afghan children who represent the future of the nation. nhk world.

that's going to wrap up our bulletin for today in bangkok. investigators in japan are trying to figure out what caused an expressway tunnel to cave in that killed nine people. they will test the bolts inside the structure. transport ministry and expressway officials started tests tuesday inside the tunnel in yamanashi prefecture. more than 300 ceiling panels fell crushing three vehicles. they will use a device that pulls down on ceiling vaults that are still intact to determine how much force they can withstand. they will analyze about 100 bolts and the concrete holding them in place. the media were not allowed to observe the work. officials say he they will collaborate with police to gather more information as they try to figure out the official cause of the collapse.

they say the investigation will take several weeks. after a warm couple of days, another cold snap. meteorologist robert spe ta has the details. robert. here in tokyo the high is up to 16 degrees, but it looks like that will cool right off. we have this low pressure area pushing off towards the east away from japan. you can see all this cloud cover here over the sea of japan due to the cold air swooping in from the northwest picking up this moisture in the relatively warm water. then it dumps in here along the west coast. okido could see 50 centimeters of snowfall in some areas in the next 24 hours and portions with upwards of 30 centimeters. as that moisture continues to flow off from the northwest towards the southeast, meanwhile farther towards the west high pressure dominating in china. that keeps it dry and sunny but very, very cold. take a look at some of these

highs. beijing just at minus 3 and seoul not even hitting the freezing mark as welle. in tokyo you get up to 8, but the low through the overnight hours gets down to the freezing mark in the mid-part of the week. as we look over towards the americas, we continue to watch a series of storm systems here into the west. that has been bringing already some gusty winds actually in utah here. you saw 153-kilometer-per-hour winds day. it will push off in the next 24 hours and bring in gusty winds and this heaviy snowfall. 20 centimeters anywhere in the black. some isolated areas into higher elevations could keep upwards of 60 centimeters of snowfall. not just here but a separate storm system pushing onshore in british columbia. that will bring heavy snowfall for you. this one not just affecting this area. as we look into the next several days, it is going to be cruising out over the central plains bringing with it some blizzard-like conditions and winds gusting around 50 to 60

kilometers per hour reducing visibility with the blowing snow mixed in there. eventually off towards the great lakes into the northeast. anybody who has travel plans across any major cities in this region going slew thursday and friday and even into the weekend. you're going to want to check in on this ahead of time, especially if you go home for the holidays or traveling in and around this area. that could delay flights and cancel them. you want to watch that storm system. chicago with a high of 7 and winnipeg at minus 6 on tuesday. not so much the case farther towards the south. a nice, mild, 24 degrees there in houston. now, let's look over towards europe. first i want to talk about this storm system here in eastern europe ar europe around the balkans. you saw 65 kilometer per hour winds today. this is due to the strong system moving off towards turkey, but still bringing with it gusty winds and heavy rains and even destructive winds possible at

this time. don't be surprised if we see a report of a tornado out of this one. il it's just a very severe storm system. farther to the west into the british isles with clear skies. going into the afternoon we have another storm system off the atlantic. that's going to bring is all sorts windy and rainy conditions. really dampen down on here on wednesday into thursday as that system continues to push onshore. from the south warm air surges ahead of it. madrid there with a high of 13. london and paris at 7 and 8, not so much the case farther towards the east, though. moscow's high is minus 16 for your high on your wednesday. here's a look at your extended forecast.

we'll be back in 30 minutes

with more news. i'm gene otoni in tokyo.